That Day Finally Came
by PaBurke
Summary: Ellen is hiding many of Bill Harvelle's secrets. The first one being that he used to belong to the Watcher's Council in England.


That Day Finally Came

By PaBurke

Summary: Ellen is hiding many of Bill Harvelle's secrets. The first one being that he used to belong to the Watcher's Council in England.

Spoilers: Season 7 of Buffy, Season 2 of Supernatural

In the back of her mind, Ellen Harvelle had been dreading this day. She knew it had been approaching at the speed of sound. Ever since Jo had started accidently tearing off doorknobs and breaking everything she tried to open, Ellen had been waiting for a snobby Brit to come and take her daughter away. Jo would go, Ellen knew. Jo would feel betrayed when the Brit would tell her that Ellen and Bill weren't her biological parents. Jo would feel even more betrayed when the Brit told her that she had been born a Potential Slayer.

Jo had been born to fight the supernatural and Ellen had put the breaks on that. Ellen had fought Jo destiny with every fiber of her being.

Ellen had been fighting it since Bill Harvelle had walked into her father's Roadhouse with the towhead toddler sleeping (and drooling) on his shoulder. Bill Harvelle had claimed to be a British hunter looking for more hunting grounds. He had been educated and proper, everything the hunters who visited the Roadhouse were not. The hunters had tried to chase him off, but Bill wouldn't go. Bill knew how to fight, Lord, could that man fight. Bill knew more than any of them about the supernatural. He had books that Bobby coveted and more off-hand experiential knowledge than the oldest hunter in the bar.

The little one-year old girl didn't fit the image the hunters had of other hunters. She was fun and sunny and into everything like toddlers should be. Ellen had fallen for Jo before falling for Bill. Bill had seen Ellen's attachment his 'daughter' and decided that Ellen would make a wonderful wife and mother. Ellen had let him chase for six months before letting him catch her.

It wasn't until after Bill and Ellen had wed that Bill had confessed the truth: Jo wasn't his daughter. Bill wasn't a Hunter, he was a Watcher for Slayers. Jo was a Potential Slayer and Bill had brought her to America as an experiment. The traditionally trained Slayers were dying at a frightening rate. Bill had a theory that a Slayer trained in a Hunting family would last longer. Jo was his test subject. Bill had learned to care for his ward, but he wanted to give her a mother's love. Bill decided that Ellen would love most fiercely.

Bill was mixing business with pleasure. Ellen was so furious with Bill's confession, she nearly threw him out of the Roadhouse the day after their wedding. She would have filed for divorce if it hadn't been for Jo. Bill had a secret organization with money behind him. If there was a divorce he would most certainly been given custody of Jo. Jo needed a woman's touch. Ellen had made Bill pay before letting him back into her bed. The first months of their marriage had been defined by 'rocky.' They have come to a happy compromise later. Ellen had decided to live in the moment and she never regretted it. She had Bill. She had Jo.

She had a good life.

Then Bill had died in a hunting accident with John Winchester (damn that man). Ellen had worried that someone from the Watchers Council would come to retrieve her daughter. It never happened. Jo's eighteenth birthday had come and gone and Ellen believed that Jo would never be a Slayer. That she would not die too young. That Jo would never have to be told how her parents lied to her.

Then one bright, sunny, horrible day Jo broke a beer bottle when she had been trying to twist off the top.

Four weeks, two broken doorknobs, one door ripped off its hinges and thirty-some shattered beer bottles later, the blonde and the brunette waltzed into the Roadhouse. Neither one had a British accent but both of them were staring at Jo too hard. The brunette was dressed in black leathers and held a motorcycle helmet. The blonde was dressed in jeans and a pastel flowery shirt. She too carried a motorcycle helmet. Occasionally, bikers stumbled into the Roadhouse, but Ellen knew these two were more. Part of her was glad that it was daylight; no hunters were around to be threatened by Jo's powers.

After each downed a shot of Holy Water, they explained to Jo the history behind Slayers and her destiny. Their serious weariness subdued Jo more than a thousand arguments with Ellen had. Jo listened wide-eyed as they talked about fighting supernatural monsters with matching strength. Ellen listened wide-eyed as they talked about college scholarships and opportunities.

To Ellen's everlasting gratitude, they never breathed a word about Jo's biological parents. They knew, of course. Ellen could read the truth in their eyes, but they never mentioned it.

So Jo left. She left to go fight monsters, but she was going to have an entire organization at her back when she did. She left to get a college education (in Great Britain!). Ellen couldn't argue with that.

Jo left, but she left knowing that she was still loved by Ellen Harvelle, her mother (in all but blood).


End file.
